Spells

Duration (+1 Round per Raise)

Originally devised by Agasha shugenja who were working with hanabi (fireworks), in modern times this spell has been renamed Tamori’s Curse by the Tamori family. The spell creates a zone of protection in which Fire kami friendly to the caster reject any intrusion by other Fire kami. Any hostile Fire spell cast within the Area of Effect suffers a -4k0 penalty to the Spell Casting Roll. Any hostile Fire spell cast from an outside location that attempts to project Fire effects into the Area of Effect (such as spells like Fires From Within) will suffer a -3k0 penalty to its DR as Agasha’s Shield disperses and weakens the kami.

This spell is a prayer to the Dragon of Fire, one of the mightiest of celestial beings, entreating him for a bit of his power. If the spell is successful, you gain the ability to breathe a bolt of flames from your open mouth once per Round as a Simple Action. The bolt has a DR equal to your Fire Ring and strikes every target in front of you within the area of effect. You may choose to take actions other than breathing fire while under the effects of this spell, but you cannot speak or cast spells. The spell expires after four Rounds, but you may choose to end this spell during the Reactions Stage of any earlier Round.

Fiery Wrath was originally created to clear brush for farming and to demolish wooden structures with a minimum of work and no hazard; it is also used to start bonfires for rituals and celebrations. The spell allows you to destroy a building or other structure by appealing to the excitable Fire kami within the target's materials. All flammable materials within the area of effect immediately catch fire and burn until nothing but ash is left. The fire cannot be extinguished except by magical means; mundane water, sand, and other retardants will have no effect.

Only one structure may be targeted by the spell, and the fire will not spread out to the adjoining structures, as your prayers keep the Fire kami under tight control. Living beings and materials that are not flammable are not affected; in fact, while clothes worn by people caught within the area of effect will burn, their flesh will not so much as singe.

Fire spirits are known for their erratic and temperamental nature, and shugenja can badly disrupt their foes in battle by imbuing them with this aspect of the element. The target of this spell is filled with the unfocused fury of Fire, enraging him and forcing him to lose perspective. The target immediately assumes the Full Attack Stance and cannot switch from that Stance for the duration of the spell. If the spell is cast out of battle, the target gains the Brash and Contrary Disadvantages for the duration of the spell.

This spell's effects can be overcome by those of strong will. The target can attempt to resist with an opposed Willpower roll, but you add your Fire to the total of your roll. If the spell is cast in battle, this roll occurs during the Reactions Stage (and may be attempted each Round). If the spell is cast out of battle, the roll occurs every 10 minutes.

This spell is a more potent version of Biting Steel, designed to enhance any weapon rather than merely a sword. The spell strengthens the Fire spirits in a single target weapon, causing them to come forth and form a faint sheath of fire around it. The weapon's wielder adds +1k0 to all attack rolls, and all of his damage dice explode on a result of 8 or better. Each die can explode on an 8 or 9 only once per roll, however, even if the wielder has other effects that allow the die to explode on 9s.

This spell was originally a secret spell of the Agasha family, and has sometimes been credited as being invented by Agasha herself during her rescue from goblins by Mirumoto Hojatsu. In modern times, both the Phoenix Clan Agasha and the Dragon Clan Tamori know the spell, although the Tamori use it far more often. The spell calls on the Fire kami to form a link between the ferocity of a bushi and the intellect of a shugenja, allowing both to work in concert to greater effect. The caster traditionally targets himself and one friendly bushi (usually, though not always, a yojimbo), although it is also possible for the caster to bestow the spell’s benefits on a different shugenja rather than himself. For the duration of the spell, both recipients receive a +2k0 bonus to all rolls involving the Fire Ring and Fire Traits (e.g. all rolls involving Agility and Intelligence). However, the links also makes each recipient vulnerable to effects on the other - if either recipient becomes Fatigued, Dazed, or Stunned, the other immediately shares the same Condition. Moreover, if either recipient is reduced to Down, Out, or Dead, the spell’s effects immediately end.

A more powerful and sophisticated form of the prayer which invokes the Fires From Within, this spell not only damages the target but also disrupts his own attempts to invoke Fire kami, making it a very effective weapon against a rival Fire shugenja. You summon forth a bolt of flames that streaks toward the target with wild abandon. The flames deal 5k3 Wounds on impact, and then encircle the opponent for the duration of the spell, waiting for him to make a mistake. If the target casts any Fire spell during that time, the Fire kami instantly strike, dealing 3k3 extra Wounds and causing the Spell Casting Roll to automatically fail. (The target loses the appropriate spell slot as usual.)

Another example of spells which can imbue Fire kami into items, this spell temporarily binds a Fire kami into a piece of armor (such as a helmet or chest plate). the armor emits a bright light that becomes blinding whenever the wearer is attacked. Any time the armor's wearer is attacked in melee, immediately afterward the opponent takes 2k2 Wounds and is Blinded until the Reactions Stage of the same Round. The spell has no effect on ranged attacks.

This prayer, variously credited to the Isawa, the Kitsu, or the Seppun, is the positive counterpoint to the notorious Haze of Battle prayer. Where Haze of Battle drives its target into a maddened frenzy of combat by exciting the Fire kami within him, The Breath of Battle invokes a positive and honorable ferocity by using Fire to call on the divine favor of the Sun. The target of this spell gains a +1k1 bonus to all Agility-based Skill Rolls and a +1k0 bonus to all Damage rolls so long as he remains under the direct light of the Sun. The spell cannot function underground, at night, or when the Sun is obscured by clouds (although the spell Gift of Amaterasu can circumvent this restraint), but it ignores minor obstructions to sunlight such as foliage or shoji screens.

A more powerful prayer to the Fortune of Thunder, this spell invokes his anger to devastate a targeted area. Massive lightning strikes and vaguely fist-shaped bolts of flame streak from the skies, smiting the area of effect. Weak structures and those easily set on fire (such as most Rokguani homes) are destroyed by the spell's fury, or catch fire and are consumed. The spell has a DR equal to your Fire Ring, inflicting this damage on anyone caught within the area of effect. Using this spell in populated areas is generally considered a criminal act, unless the shugenja can cite extreme circumstances, since fires are terribly dangerous to Rokugani cities.

The creation of this spell is credited to Asahina himself, who sought ways to use Fire magic peacefully after he joined the Crane Clan, but in modern times it is found in the ranks of many different families. The spell causes the Fire kami to gather and dance in a pleasing visual shape and with a soothing rhythmic light. Those who gaze upon the Fire kami see an entrancing and appealing vision that distracts them from taking violent actions. All persons within the Area of Effect find themselves entranced and are considered Dazed for the duration of the spell. However, the targets may attempt to shake off the spell’s effects during the Reactions Stage of each Round with a Willpower roll against a TN of the caster’s Fire x10. This spell’s effects are most potent against Rokugani, since the Fire kami find it more difficult to create entrancing images for those they do not understand. The GM may award gaijin and nonhuman targets a bonus to their Willpower roll to resist the spell’s effects. Animals, bestial creatures, and mindless creatures such as undead are completely immune to the spell.